The Great General

Even through the window, the sour, mocking tone of Monk Zhongcheng pierced through, making Chen Wu feel absolutely no desire to engage with him.

Monk Zhongcheng, however, lacked any self-awareness of being an unwelcome guest; he pushed the door open and walked in as if it were his own meditation room. Seeing Chen Wu eating his flatbread with unhurried composure, he picked up a teacup from a nearby table and handed it to him.

Chen Wu did not stand on ceremony. He reached out to take the cup, finished the last bite of his bread, and tilted his head back to drain the tea, only then feeling satisfied enough to look up at the monk.

"If I recall correctly, Master, you were chanting sutras and praying for the Old Madam of the Shui family, so your presence in the Shui Family Garden is not entirely surprising. But how did you know I was here?"

"Amitabha. Yesterday, you drew your sword and struck Qiao Weisheng without so much as a greeting. My curiosity was piqued, so I followed you. You were suffering from the effects of the Yin-Yang Chaos Finger at the time, caught between cold and heat, and failed to notice me."

"I suppose I should thank you for not reporting me to the authorities."

"Jianghu matters are settled within the Jianghu. I am a man outside the secular world; why would I involve the government?" Monk Zhongcheng smiled, as if he hadn't heard the sarcasm in Chen Wu's voice. "Besides, you owe me a duel. If you were captured by the officials, I wouldn't know where to find you."

Hah, this martial arts fanatic—that last sentence was the only honest part!

"Master, you can see for yourself. My injuries are severe; our duel will have to be postponed."

"No rush, no rush. I am not an unreasonable man," Monk Zhongcheng said. "I did not come here to duel you today, but rather to fulfill a request."

"Whose?"

"General Fubo, Shui Ziyi. He wishes to meet you."

Chen Wu was startled. Had his identity been exposed?

"I am right here in the Shui Family Garden. If he wants to see me, he can come himself. Why send a monk to relay the message?"

"The General does not know you are here. He simply felt that, given my extensive connections in the Jianghu, I might be able to help him locate you."

Extensive connections? More like connections made with his fists, I'd wager.

"Is General Shui also interested in the government's bounty?"

"You jest. The Shui family is a prominent clan in Jincheng Prefecture; they are hardly lacking for such pocket change," Monk Zhongcheng laughed. "The General finds the death of Qiao Weisheng to be full of suspicious points and wishes to have a word with you to clear things up."

"If you fear a trap, you need not meet the General yourself. You need only tell me what you know, and I shall relay it to him."

"Why is Shui Ziyi so concerned about Qiao Weisheng? Were they close?"

"You may not be aware, but Qiao Weisheng was one of the primary financial backers of the Investigation of Things School. The one who wounded you yesterday with the Yin-Yang Chaos Finger was Yang Yuchun, an attendant in the Crown Prince's Mansion and a key general of the School of Heavenly Principle. The entire Crown Prince's Mansion subtly supports that school. With the current delicate balance between the two factions in the imperial court, Qiao Weisheng's death at this juncture—and right before Yang Yuchun's eyes—is highly unusual."

"Though the General has retired, his son still serves in the court," Monk Zhongcheng said with a cryptic smile. "For the sake of his descendants, he must uncover the truth to ensure the court's political strife does not spill over."

The more Chen Wu heard, the more wrong it felt. He had stumbled into a massive whirlpool.

Even now, Chen Wu didn't fully understand what these "schools" of the Great Shun were, but based on what he had seen over the past few days, they appeared to be alliances of cultivation sects with similar philosophies.

These people likely shared similar approaches to martial arts and philosophical concepts.

For instance, the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower, where Chen Wu resided, belonged to the Yongjiu School, which claimed that "when the dragons have no leader, the world is auspicious"—a phrase both Old Jin and the late Qiao Weisheng had mentioned.

With his knowledge as a top-tier university graduate, Chen Wu naturally understood this came from the I Ching: "Use of Nine: See the dragons without heads, auspicious."

If the School of Heavenly Principle and the Investigation of Things School held such power in the imperial court, they were certainly not to be trifled with. Getting caught between these two behemoths was truly a stroke of terrible luck.

"You are certainly dedicated for the sake of six hundred and sixty silver dollars in incense money."

"That money is for the White Pagoda Temple, not for me," Zhongcheng shook his head. "I am merely a temporary guest at the temple; the silver has nothing to do with me."

"Then what did General Shui promise you?"

"If I find you, he will introduce me to a Concentrated Spirit Realm expert from the Sea-Pacifying Palace to spar with."

Great. I knew it would be something like that.

"That is your business, Master. What does it have to do with me?"

Monk Zhongcheng smiled and pulled out a beautifully crafted medal, its enamel surface depicting an anchor.

"During the Battle of Trincomalee, General Fubo personally led his marines to board the enemy ship and captured a third-rate ship of the line belonging to the English East India Company. The Emperor bestowed this Sea-Suppressing Medal upon him."

"If you are willing to meet him, you may hold onto this medal and ask the General for a favor in the future."

Seeing Chen Wu remain silent, seemingly unaware of the medal's weight, Monk Zhongcheng added, "As long as you are within Jincheng Prefecture, even if the authorities catch you, the General's influence can guarantee your safety once."

It wasn't that Chen Wu didn't understand the weight of the medal; he understood it all too well, which was why he was stunned into silence.

The mention of the Battle of Trincomalee and the East India Company made him realize he had severely underestimated General Shui—the man was no "watered-down" general.

Based on his reading from his previous life, Chen Wu vaguely remembered Trincomalee being in Sri Lanka, and the East India Company was a household name. The Battle of Trincomalee was likely the engagement that cemented the Great Shun's hegemony in the Indian Ocean—or, as the people of Great Shun called it, the "Small Western Ocean," to contrast with Europe's Atlantic.

That this General had captured an East India Company ship of the line meant he was a genuine powerhouse, the kind worthy of a biography, not someone who had simply climbed the ranks through seniority.

In this light, the medal was much like Old Ma's jade pendant—a token of immense social capital—only the General's capital was significantly larger.

"What is the General's cultivation level, exactly?" Chen Wu asked.

"He is a veteran of the Circulation Realm. Before I mastered the Tummo, I was barely his equal."

"He hasn't reached the Concentrated Spirit Realm?"

"Rest assured, he has not. He is no match for you."

But I'm not in the Concentrated Spirit Realm either! My internal energy can't even leave my body; if I run into a Circulation Realm expert, I'm done for.

"This... I cannot give you an answer right away," Chen Wu pondered, deciding to stall. "I need to discuss this with Old Ma. Please, send word to him that I am hiding here to recover from my injuries."

"Easily done." Monk Zhongcheng pressed his palms together. "This humble monk will notify Old Master Ma as soon as possible."

Old Ma had arrived far too quickly!

The night was deep and silent. Chen Wu had just finished circulating his qi and was about to conclude his practice and rest.

Knock-knock-knock, knock-knock, knock-knock-knock...

The familiar rhythm of the knocking sounded.

Chen Wu rose, finished his cultivation, and opened the door for Old Ma.

Old Ma was dressed in night-traveling gear; he scanned the surroundings cautiously before stepping inside.

"That was a clean job you did! Chen Gawa." Old Ma pulled down his mask and offered a word of praise.

Chen Wu was stunned for a moment before realizing Old Ma was referring to the assassination of Qiao Weisheng. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Don't talk nonsense; I didn't do it."

"There's more to this than meets the eye?" Old Ma immediately caught the implication.

Chen Wu sighed helplessly and recounted how Qiao Weisheng had paid to have him assassinated, telling Old Ma everything.

Old Ma frowned after hearing the story. "So, after Qiao Weisheng returned, someone used your assassination attempt as a cover to kill him before dawn this morning."

"However, there are two things I can't figure out. First, why would Qiao Weisheng fake his own death? Second, before faking his death, he surely would have asked Guo Xuchu for strict protection. How did the killer bypass him?"

Chen Wu added, "Actually, there is another suspicious point. Why would Qiao Weisheng come to Jincheng Prefecture so inexplicably? His Zhong'an Bank branches are spread all over the world. What could a tiny branch in Jincheng Prefecture possibly have that would warrant a personal visit, let alone a stay of over half a month?"

Old Ma stroked his beard and nodded. "Exactly. The bounty appeared in the underworld before Qiao Weisheng even arrived in Jincheng Prefecture. Could there be a connection between the two?"

Slap—

Hearing Old Ma's words, Chen Wu suddenly realized a point he had previously overlooked and instinctively slapped his thigh.

"Since Qiao Weisheng knew he had a bounty on his head, given his shrewdness, he must have guessed I was from the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower and that I was the one sent to kill him. If Zhang Iron Ruler could figure it out, there's no reason Qiao Weisheng couldn't."

"Quite right, quite right!" Old Ma also had a sudden realization. "Qiao Weisheng suddenly asked you to perform the assassination—could it be that he saw your high level of martial arts and, finding you difficult to deal with since you hadn't made a move yet, decided to throw thirty thousand silver dollars at you to buy you off?"

"That might have been a consideration, but it's definitely not the only reason." Chen Wu said firmly. "I have a feeling that Qiao Weisheng's act of faking his death was premeditated. Even if I hadn't made a move, he would have found someone else. There is no shortage of desperate men in this world."

"Haha, then you being used was just an accident." Old Ma laughed. "Our Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower is used to taking the blame for others; you can consider this your usual line of work."

"That's true. There's no point in overthinking it; the blame is already pinned on me anyway." Chen Wu said helplessly. "I didn't call you here for that, though. The master of the Shui Family Garden wants to see me. Do you think it's worth meeting him?"

Old Ma asked for details, and Chen Wu explained General Shui's request and the conditions offered.

After listening to Chen Wu, Old Ma stroked his beard and pondered for a moment before speaking. "General Shui is known throughout Jincheng Prefecture as a man of his word. If you can build a relationship with him, that would be excellent."

"So, it's worth a meeting?"

"It is, but we must be the ones to decide the time and place."

"My body will be recovered by the day after tomorrow. I'll leave the arrangements to you then."

"Good." Old Ma agreed, then pulled a stack of silver notes from his robes. "The payment for the Qiao Weisheng assassination is settled. Since you've already taken the blame, you can take this money with a clear conscience. The usual rule: three-seven split."

"Why only thirty percent?"

"Thirty percent is mine! Seventy percent is yours!" Old Ma said, exasperated, shoving the silver notes into Chen Wu's hand. "Three thousand five hundred silver dollars! Take it and use it for your funeral fund!"

With that, Old Ma pulled his mask back up, opened the door, leaped onto the eaves, and vanished into the heavy night.

The night sky was gloomy and oppressive, as if it were weighing down on Chen Wu's heart. Chen Wu shivered and quickly shut the door.